Abstract: The present invention involves a method for categorizing nucleic acid which comprises: producing a nucleic acid population by action of an endonuclease on double-stranded nucleic acid, such that each nucleic acid in the nucleic acid population has a double-stranded portion; contacting the nucleic acid population with one or more oligonucleotide sequences; and isolating nucleic acid which correctly hybridizes to an oligonucleotide sequence. In the method of the present invention, each oligonucleotide sequence has a pre-determined recognition sequence. Furthermore, the nucleic acid is categorized by its ability to correctly hybridize to oligonucleotide sequences having the recognition sequence, the recognition sequence being situated such that it recognizes a sequence in the double-stranded portion of the nucleic acid. The oligonucleotide sequence can comprise one or more different recognition sequences.

Abstract: The present invention involves a method for assaying a substance. The method of the present invention comprises contacting the substance with an assay agent comprising a catalytic agent to associate the substance with the catalytic agent, contacting the resulting associated substance with a label precursor capable of reacting catalytically with the catalytic agent to release the label, and detecting a mass label. The present invention also involves a kit for assaying a substance. The kit of the present invention comprises an assay agent comprising a catalytic agent, and a label precursor capable of reacting catalytically with the catalytic agent to release a mass label.

Abstract: Provided is a set of two or more mass labels, each label in the set comprising a mass marker moiety attached via a cleavable linker to a mass normalisation moiety, the mass marker moiety being fragmentation resistant, wherein the aggregate mass of each label in the set may be the same or different and the mass of the mass marker moiety of each label in the set may be the same or different, and wherein in any group of labels within the set having a mass marker moiety of a common mass each label has an aggregate mass different from all other labels in that group, and wherein in any group of labels within the set having a common aggregate mass each label has a mass marker moiety having a mass different from that of all other mass marker moieties in that group, such that all of the mass labels in the set are distinguishable from each other by mass spectrometry.

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to a method for characterizing cDNA, wherein said method produces a sequence signature having the following structure: Adaptor Sequence-Restriction Site-Known Length-Nw-Second Known Length-Nx-Poly-A tail (Known Length).

Abstract: Provided is a method for characterising an analyte, which method comprises: a) providing a compound in which the analyte is attached by at cleavable linker to a mass marker relatable to the analyte; b) cleaving the mass marker from the analyte; and c) identifying the mass marker, thereby characterising the analyte, wherein the mass marker comprises a metal ion-binding moiety.

Abstract: A method for identifying an antisense oligonucleotide capable of binding to a target mRNA, which comprises contacting the target mRNA with each member of an oligonucleotide library separately under hybridization conditions, removing unhybridized material and determining which member or members hybridize; wherein the oligonucleotide library comprises a plurality of distinct nucleotide sequences of a predetermined common length, and wherein each nucleotide sequence comprises a known sequence of 4 to 8 bases and all possible combinations of the known sequence are present in the library.

Abstract: Provided is a method for identifying a functional antisense agent, which method comprises hybridizing an RNA with an aligonucleotide probe and measuring in real time the kinetics of hybridization, wherein the kinetics are measured by either hybridizing in the presence of an intercalation dye and recording a change in the spectroscopic properties of the dye as hybridizing proceeds, or incorporating a label in either the RNA or the probe, attaching the non-labelled RNA or non-labelled probe to a solid support, generating an evanescent wave in the proximity of the non-labelled RNA or non-labelled probe and recording the increase in a signal generated by interaction of the evanescent wave with the label, as hybridization proceeds.

Abstract: Provided is a method for identifying a functional antisense agent, which method comprises contacting an RNA with an oligonucleotide probe to form a duplex-containing RNA, contacting the duplex-containing RNA with an RNAase to cleave the duplex-containing RNA, and measuring the kinetics of cleavage.

Abstract: The present invention involves a method for characterizing nucleic acid which comprises generating Sanger ladder nucleic acid fragments from a plurality of nucleic acid templates present in the same reaction zone, wherein at least one terminating base is present in the reaction zone. Prior to generating nucleic acid fragments, a labeled primer nucleotide or oligonucleotide is hybridized to each template. The label on each primer is specific to the template to which that primer hybridizes, thereby allowing for identification of the template. The method of the present invention further comprises identifying the length of each nucleic acid fragment produced, the template from which the fragment is derived and the terminating base of the fragment.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for characterizing one or more nucleic acids. This method involves immobilizing double-stranded nucleic acids on a solid phase support and cleaving the immobilized nucleic acids with an endonuclease, such that each cleaved nucleic acid has a double-stranded portion. The cleaved nucleic acids are then denatured to form single-stranded cleaved nucleic acids. One or more oligonucleotide sequences are then hybridized to the resulting single-stranded cleaved nucleic acid. The oligonucleotide sequences used each comprise a pre-determined recognition sequence situated such that it recognizes a sequence which was part of the double-stranded portion of the nucleic acid and a label specific to the recognition sequence. The hybridized oligonucleotide sequences are then extended along the single-stranded portion of the immobilized nucleic acid to form an extended strand which is then denatured from the immobilized strand.

Abstract: The present invention provides a compound having the following formula: N-L-M wherein N comprises one or more nucleic acid bases, L is either a direct bond between N and M or L comprises a linker moiety, and M comprises a mass marker comprising an aryl ether.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for analyzing a population of nucleic acid fragments each labeled with a mass label, which method comprises: i) ionizing the population; ii) sorting the ionized population in a mass spectrometer according to mass into sub-populations each containing at least one labeled fragment; iii) cleaving each sub-population to release the mass label associated with each labeled fragment; iv) determining the mass of each released mass label by mass spectroscopy; and v) assigning each mass label to its associated fragment.

Abstract: A method for characterizing cDNA, which comprises: (a) cutting a sample comprising a population of one or more cDNAs or isolated fragments thereof, each having a strand complementary to the 3′ poly-A terminus of an mRNA and bearing a tail, with a first sampling endonuclease at a first sampling site of known displacement from a reference site proximal to the tail to generate from each cDNA or isolated fragment thereof a first and second sub-fragment, each comprising a sticky end sequence of predetermined length and unknown sequence, the first sub-fragment bearing the tail; (b) sorting either the first or second sub-fragments into sub-populations according to their sticky end sequence and recording the sticky end sequence of each sub-population as the first sticky end; (c) cutting the sub-fragments of each sub-population with a second sampling endonuclease, which is the same as or different from the first sampling endonuclease, at second sampling site of known displacement from the first sampling site to

Abstract: A method for characterizing polypeptides, which comprises: (a) treating a sample comprising a population of one or more polypeptides with a cleavage agent which is known to recognize a specific amino acid residue or sequence in polypeptide chains and to cleave at a cleavage site, whereby the population is cleaved to generate peptide fragments; (b) isolating a population of the peptide fragments which bear at one end a reference terminus comprising either only a C-terminus or only an N-terminus and which bear at the other end the cleavage site proximal to the reference terminus; and c) determining a signature sequence of at least some of the isolated fragments, which signature sequence is the sequence of a predetermined number of amino acid residues running from the cleavage site; wherein the signature sequence and the relative position of the cleavage site to the reference terminus characterize the polypeptide or each polypeptide.